Journeys made by bicycle in Scotland have almost doubled in the past decade, according to a new report.

Figures collected by the Scottish Department for Transport highlight the sharp rise in cyclists on the roads, particularly over the past year. In 2001, 0.7 per cent of journeys recorded in the Scottish household survey travel diary were made by bicycle, but that number has risen to 1.3 per cent.

One in four Scots does not make any kind of journey on any given day, and nearly two thirds of journeys are made by car or van.

The statistics were published as The Times revealed the soaring death toll among cyclists in the UK, which has reached its highest since 2007, with 110 confirmed so far this year.

Police in Aberdeen appealed for witnesses yesterday after a cyclist was killed in a rush-hour collision with a lorry at around 6pm on Tuesday. The 40-year-old victim, whose identity was not disclosed, died at the scene at a roundabout on North Anderson Drive.

The A90 dual carriageway was closed for more than seven hours as collision investigators worked by torchlight. Grampian Police, who asked for anyone who saw the accident to contact them, said that the cyclist had been local to Aberdeen.

Sir Chris Hoy has called on the major parties to make “ambitious” pledges to
boost cycling in their manifestos, saying it would be a “dream scenario” if
the streets were safe enough for his infant son to cycle to school with his
Olympian father when he is older